Women serving in special forces still years away, but commander pledges 'days of Rambo are over'

The Pentagon announced Tuesday its plans to incorporate women into combat positions by the 2016 deadline. (Contributed photo/DOD)

Intellect, not physical strength, is the most important
characteristic for soldiers serving with U.S. Special Operations, the command's
director said Tuesday as the Pentagon released its plan to incorporate women
into previously closed combat roles.

The main challenge women will face, Army Major Gen. Bennet
Sacolick said, will adapting to the culture, not the physical requirements.
Still, he said the inclusion of women in combat positions below the brigade
level constitutes a fundamental change to the military.

"The days of Rambo are over," he said. "The
defining characteristic of our operators is their intellect."

The Pentagon announced Tuesday its plans to incorporate
women into combat positions by its 2016 deadline. The plans include first
opening closed units to women, and then opening all closed military
occupational specialties, or MOSs. While each service has crafted
plans to institute gender-neutral standards, the actual implementation for many
jobs remains years away.

The greatest challenge comes from incorporating women into the
special forces.

SOCOM oversees elite units from different branches,
including Army Rangers and Navy SEALS. Sacolick said the nature of their
operations, often long-term deployments by small groups in politically
sensitive areas, presents different challenges to incorporating women into the
groups.

SOCOM officials said they are working with research agencies
and scientists to review current occupational standards and ensure they are
current and applied on a gender-neutral basis. They are also surveying men
already serving in special operations to ask them how they feel about women
joining their ranks.

They Army said it will be ready to begin training women to
serve as Rangers by July 2015. The Navy
will begin training women for its Riverine Squadron next month and set October
2015 as the date where women who want to serve as SEALS could begin Navy boot
camp.

How that will occur and what the physical requirements will
be remain to be seen.

"At this point, no decisions have been made," Gen.
Sacolick said, of how the policy will be applied to special operations.
"Let me make that clear: No decisions have been made."

The previous combat exclusion policy, rescinded in January,
barred women from jobs, including non-combat positions such as tank mechanic
and field artillery radar operator, if they were performed in or near a combat
unit. It also prohibited women in jobs such as intelligence, communications and
logistics from assignment at units smaller than a brigade.

"Our goal is to
ensure that the mission is met with the best-qualified and most capable people,
regardless of gender," said Juliet Beyler, director of officer and enlisted
personnel management, during a Tuesday press conference to unveil the branch
plans.